Cline

Cline is a free, open-source VS Code extension that brings Cursor-style autonomous agent capabilities to any editor setup, using your own API key for whichever model you choose (Claude, GPT, or local models). It plans multi-step coding tasks, executes them with approval gates at each step, and can run terminal commands as part of its workflow.

The approval-gate design is a deliberate safety feature: rather than silently making sweeping changes, Cline proposes each file edit or command and waits for you to approve, reject, or modify it, which gives you fine-grained control over an otherwise autonomous process. This makes it a good middle ground between fully manual coding and a fully autonomous agent.

Because you bring your own API key, there's no subscription fee, but heavy usage can add up in direct API costs — and the UX, while functional, is less polished than Cursor's. For developers who want Cursor-or-Claude-Code-style agentic behavior inside their existing VS Code setup without paying a subscription, Cline is one of the most capable free options available.